Limited-production, hotted-up versions of the Porsche 911 have been with us for decades, but since its 1997 release the Boxster has only been offered in its two standard flavors. Grab the Tums, because a spicy Boxster is finally available. Meet the Boxster Spyder.

While this isn't a street homologation version of a GT3 race car, the Boxster Spyder offers the right tweaks for the hardcore enthusiast market. Compared to the regular Boxster S, power is up from 310 to 320. Torque has also been increased, going from 266 to 273.

Bigger footprint? Yep, that's also part of the package. Where the Boxster S comes with 18x8-inch front wheels paired with 18x8-inch rears, the Boxster Spyder receives 19s: 8.5 inches wider up front and 10 inches across out back.

Then there's lowered suspension plus a 176-pound weight savings, with 46 pounds of that sum courtesy of a very simple canvas top. Remember the crude, Erector Set tops our forefathers had to endure? Same thing. If there's any solace, remind yourself about the weight savings every time you debate whether or not it's worth the time to lower it.

The Boxster Spyder is only available in a handful of colors, but typical for Porsche there's a ton of possible options. Our car could be described as fully equipped--remember, it's configured for the press pool, not a PCA club race.

The biggies were $3110 for PCM (aka Porsche Communications Management, their GPS navigation and sound system setup), $1560 for bi-Xenon headlamps, $1760 for automatic climate control and $1320 for Sport Chrono Package Plus. Our test car also had Porsche's seven-speed PDK transmission, another $3420 option.